


Scar Tissue

by tethrasing



Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Established Relationship, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Past Domestic Violence, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-12
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-17 02:19:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16965873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tethrasing/pseuds/tethrasing
Summary: Most Watchers don't have happy pasts. In each chapter, their partner will uncover some of their scars - both physical and emotional.





	1. Tekēhu/Watcher

**Author's Note:**

> Tekēhu asks Quarin about the unusual scars that litter his chest and back.

Tekēhu stared up at the canvas ceiling of the tent, listening to the soft snores coming from Eder. It had been a long day, but he found that sleep eluded him. His mind kept wandering back to the image of Quarin shirtless as he sparred with Eder on the beach.

 

That in itself was an enjoyable image. However, when the fire godlike had drawn closer and Tekēhu moved to speak to him, he couldn’t help but notice the unusual scars that littered his chest and back. They were different from the silvery battle scars he had. These looked like…burns, perhaps.

 

Over and over his mind wandered back to the scars. He hoped they didn’t signify a dark past that Quarin hadn’t yet told him about. Deciding action was better than inaction, Tekēhu left his tent and went to speak with Quarin who was keeping watch.

 

Tekēhu found Quarin sitting in front of the slowly dying fire in the middle of their camp. His great sword was in his lap, a whetstone in his right hand. He wore simple clothing including a tunic that hung loosely on his chest – Tekēhu could see several of the burn marks on his exposed skin. He smiled at Tekēhu crookedly as he approached.

 

“Can’t sleep?”

 

“Ekera, I find myself with a troubled mind tonight,” Tekēhu replied.

 

Quarin furrowed his brow and gestured to the spot on the ground next to him.

 

“What’s going on?” he asked.

 

Tekēhu never knew quite what to make of Quarin’s genuine concern for the wellbeing of those who traveled with him. Since they started their flirtation, Tekēhu had noticed Quarin paying him special attention. Tekēhu was used to being treated differently, but with Quarin, he never got the sense he was being placed on a pedestal.

 

Tekēhu sat close to Quarin, but kept a space between them in case the topic he was about to broach was an undesired one.

 

“I say, captain, I enjoyed the show you put on earlier this evening,” Tekēhu began.

 

Quarin chuckled and dropped his head to look at the great sword in his lap. Tekēhu was certain if Quarin were capable of blushing, he would be.

 

“Thanks. Don’t usually get that reaction from people.”

 

Tekēhu hesitated.

 

“Ekera? I am aware godlike are not always welcomed, especially in other parts of Eora, but you are obviously a handsome man…”

 

Quarin snorted, looking back up at Tekēhu.

 

“To you, maybe. The part of the Ixamitl Plains I grew up in was filled with pretty superstitious tribes. Thought godlike were a bad omen,” Quarin explained, setting aside his sword and whetstone, “You could get by pretty okay if you were a moon godlike, but the rest of us…”

 

Quarin fell silent. He stood, grabbed a log and threw it onto the fire to keep it alive, and sat back down. Tekēhu swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Deep down he had known the story behind Quarin’s scars would be a sad one, but part of him had hoped…

 

“I do not mean to pry, but I noticed the burn marks on your chest,” Tekēhu said.

 

Quarin nodded, almost to himself, touching his chest absentmindedly as he looked away from the fire to meet Tekēhu’s eyes.

 

“And you’re wondering if it’s related?” Quarin grimaced, “There’s a reason I haven’t told you about my past, Tekēhu. Being a godlike has afforded you a relatively good life. Being a godlike made my life ten times harder. But I don’t want anyone’s pity.”

 

“You are assuming how I will react before you even tell the tale, captain. However, it was never my intention to pity you. I simply wanted to know more about you and…to perhaps offer comfort, if it is wanted,” Tekēhu replied.

 

A long moment passed between them, the only sounds the crackling of the fire and the distant crashing of waves. Tekēhu forced himself to breathe normally even as hope and anxiety vied for dominance in his chest. Finally, Quarin let out a long sigh and rubbed at the back of his neck.

 

“My father was the chieftain of our tribe. The custom was to exile godlike infants.”

 

Tekēhu felt his heart skip a beat.

 

“You do not mean…”

 

Quarin grimaced.

 

“Leave them in the woods somewhere to die from exposure or starvation. As if that was somehow better than killing them outright,” Quarin shook his head, “Anyway, my mother refused. So they exiled both of us. She probably would have been killed if she wasn’t married to the chieftain. She told me I had siblings, a sister and a brother, but I don’t remember them. Or my father.”

 

“My mother taught me everything I needed to know to survive. How to hunt, how to swing a sword, how to cook. We were pretty self-sufficient. She was…incredible. I think she would’ve liked you,” Quarin smiled fondly.

 

Tekēhu smiled back.

 

“We had to move around a lot. I don’t know how much you know about the Plains, but the tribes are nomadic. We needed to be near them to trade, but not close enough to risk making them nervous about me.”

 

Quarin looked away from Tekēhu and into the fire. When he spoke again, it was with a detached voice.

 

“When I was 12, some guys from one of the tribes we were trailing took me. Heard them say they were gonna sell me to slavers. Don’t know if they were actually gonna go through with it, but it scared the shit out of me. They burned me because they heard a myth that fire godlike couldn’t be burned. Seems like that was just an excuse, considering how many times they did it. Took my mom a few days to find me. Took me a few years to be okay again.”

 

Tekēhu willed his heart to stop feeling like it was breaking. How anyone could do such a thing to Quarin – kind, honest, always giving without asking for anything in return Quarin – was unfathomable. And to hurt a child…

 

Slowly, Tekēhu reached his hand out and placed it on the expanse of skin exposed by Quarin’s shirt. It was just big enough to fit Tekēhu’s hand. Quarin’s chest was warm, warmer than any kith Tekēhu had ever known. The action seemed to take Quarin by surprise – his eyes widened and he looked down at his chest.

 

After a moment, Quarin placed his slightly smaller hand over Tekēhu’s. Tekēhu was pleasantly surprised to find it was also warm. Quarin lifted his face to meet Tekēhu’s gaze. There was something vulnerable and wondering in Quarin’s eyes that made Tekēhu’s heart ache.

 

“Thank you for telling me this, Quarin,” Tekēhu said.

 

“Yeah, I mean…” Quarin began, stopping to laugh as if releasing some pent up nervous energy, “You still like me?”

 

Now it was Tekēhu’s turn to be surprised.

 

“Ekera, why would this make me lose interest in you? Because you have overcome many obstacles? Because you have shown strength in the face of adversity? Every day I am impressed by your kindness. To know now that you are kind despite great suffering, my interest in you only deepens.”

 

“Oh,” Quarin replied, smiling sheepishly, “Well, when you put it like that…”

 

Quarin let his hand fall to his leg and Tekēhu withdrew his hand. He immediately missed the feeling of Quarin’s rough skin under his hand.

 

“Well, captain, I say you have let the handsome fish occupy your attention long enough,” Tekēhu said as he stood, “I will let you get back to keeping watch.”

 

As Tekēhu turned to walk the short distance back to his tent, he heard Quarin stand.

 

“Tekēhu, wait.”

 

Tekēhu turned back to face Quarin who stood only a few inches shorter than he. The fire godlike eyed him hesitantly for a moment, the light from the fire dancing on the left side of his face, before he closed the gap between them and enveloped Tekēhu in a solid hug.

 

“Thank you,” he said quietly.

 

Quarin was pleasantly warm against Tekēhu’s cooler body. His right horn pressed against the right side of Tekēhu’s face, but it didn’t hurt. Tekēhu pressed one hand into the spot between Quarin’s shoulder blades and let the other rest at the small of his back, as Quarin’s arms wrapped around his shoulders.

 

Too soon for Tekēhu’s liking, Quarin pulled away. Quarin gave him a smile, small but genuine, and Tekēhu smiled back.

 

“Goodnight, Tekēhu.”

 

“Goodnight, captain.”

 

This time, when Tekēhu laid down in his tent, sleep came easily.


	2. Edér/Watcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edér patches Alayne back up after she takes a blow in battle and discovers an old scar with a painful memory attached.

Alayne sat down gingerly on the bed, wincing as the action pulled at her injury. She was grateful that someone had already pulled the curtains on the windows and started a fire in the hearth. It was nearly time for dinner by the time they had arrived at the inn, but Alayne was in no shape to head down to the common area.

 

There were a million things she wanted to do – take off her boots, change her armor for plain clothes, put her hair up. But frankly, she doubted she could even lie down without further injuring herself.

 

A knock at the door to her room pulled her out of her thoughts.

 

“It’s me,” came Edér’s muffled voice from the other side.

 

Alayne let out her held breath. She had been worried it was one of the others, that they needed her for something. Edér never needed anything. Edér she could deal with.

 

“It’s open,” she called to him.

 

The doorknob turned and Edér stepped passed the threshold. He raised an eyebrow at her.

 

“What, you’re not gonna open the door for me?” he quipped.

 

“What, you can’t open it yourself?” she shot back.

 

Edér chuckled, shaking his head. Alayne looked down at his hands and realized he had a first aid kit with him. She sighed, turning her head away from him. She heard him approach the bed and pull one of the end tables over to where she sat at the edge.

 

“Look, I’m not gonna ask why didn’t go to Pallegina for healin’. That’s your business. But I saw you take that hit meant for Aloth earlier. Looked like it hurt,” Edér said.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Alayne saw him crouch down so he no longer towered over her.

 

“Let me take a look, at least?”

 

She had a denial ready on her tongue before she realized he was asking, not ordering. She huffed a silent laugh. Of course he was asking. This was Edér. Gentle, kind Edér who insisted on stopping to pet every animal they came across. Edér who stood between the rest of the team and all manner of danger. Edér who stayed optimistic despite a village that turned against him, a country that turned on his religion.

 

Alayne turned to look at him. For once, she had to look down to meet his gaze. His kind eyes further disarmed her and the denial died in her mouth.

 

“I don’t…I don’t want to seem weak. In front of the others. They’re all looking to me to lead them,” she admitted quietly, “That’s why I didn’t go to Pallegina.”

 

“Askin’ for help from the people that care about you, that doesn’t make you weak,” Edér argued.

 

Alayne shook her head.

 

“In the White that Wends, our leaders are taught not to show weakness. Ever. You can’t afford to in such a harsh environment. The people will lose confidence in you.”

 

Edér furrowed his brow and frowned.

 

“Sounds like a lonely way to live,” he commented, “and an easy way to get yourself killed.”

 

A heavy moment passed between them. Edér held her gaze and Alayne could feel her heartbeat in her throat. Alayne didn’t have it in her to argue the issue at the moment, but she didn’t want to admit he was right. Eventually, she had to look away.

 

“I, um, I don’t think I can get my armor off by myself,” she admitted, her eyes looking at a spot on the wall.

 

“I can help with that,” Edér said as he stood.

 

Alayne showed Edér where the straps of her leather armor were and he got to work undoing them. She tried to ignore how her heartbeat leapt when she felt his breath hot on her neck.

 

She hissed loudly as she lifted her arms so Edér could remove her chest piece. Edér muttered an apology as he pulled away her armor.

 

“It’s not your fault,” Alayne said, putting her arms back at her sides. “I’m the idiot that got hit.”

 

“Hey, none of that now. You were protectin’ a friend,” Edér responded as he put her armor on a chair in the corner.

 

When he returned, Edér settled on the floor on his knees so the top of his head was level with Alayne’s nose. Now that her armor was gone, the damage to her abdomen was obvious; a long, thin slice had been carved into the left side of her stomach.

 

“May I?” Edér asked.

 

Alayne nodded. She felt a light flush come to her cheeks as Edér lifted up her bloody shirt to reveal the injury. She had imagined Edér lifting up her shirt more than once, albeit under very different circumstances. Still, she felt a thrill run up her spine as his fingers brushed her skin.

 

She couldn’t see the extent of the injury past his hands, so instead Alayne studied Edér’s face. He didn’t react beyond narrowing his eyes slightly as he examined the wound. She made a mental note to never to play cards with him.

 

“Well, are you gonna tell me how bad it is?” she asked.

 

Edér flicked his eyes up to hers briefly, a smirk pulling at his mouth.

 

“I’ve seen worse. Reckon you have, too,” he said lightly as he opened the first aid kit and rifled through it, “It’d heal faster if you went to Pallegina, but I should be able to stitch it up.”

 

Edér pulled out a clean cloth and began to wipe the blood from her stomach. He held the cloth in his right hand. His left hand seemed to absentmindedly drift to rest just above her right hip. Alayne tried to ignore the feeling of his calloused fingers against her smooth skin, focusing instead on the pain as Edér’s ministrations pulled at her torn skin.

 

Once Edér was satisfied with his work, he tossed the cloth to the floor and withdrew several items from the first aid kit, laying them out on the bedside table. First, Edér picked up a bottle that Alayne couldn’t read the label of from the angle she sat at. He withdrew another clean cloth from the first aid kit and upended the bottle against it.

 

“This is gonna sting,” Edér warned her.

 

Alayne nodded, steeling herself. She figured it must be alcohol of some kind to sterilize the wound. In one swift movement, Edér pressed the cloth to her skin and wiped it against her injury. Alayne closed her eyes and grit her teeth against the pain. As much as it hurt, it was over quickly. She let out a harsh breath as the pain subsided.

 

When she opened her eyes, Edér was picking up a small needle and a spool of thread from the table. He worked in silence for several moments, readying the makeshift stitches.

 

“This is gonna hurt, too,” he said, not looking up from his hands.

 

Alayne huffed.

 

“Yeah, I figured.”

 

“This the first time you’ve had stitches?” he asked.

 

Alayne blinked at him several times.

 

“No. How did you…?”

 

Edér shuffled closer to her on his knees, resting the spool on her thighs.

 

“Couldn’t help but notice the scars on your side. Injury like that, looked like it needed stitches. Must’ve hurt. Some kind of animal?” Edér asked.

 

His tone was light, but as far as Alayne was concerned he might as well be screaming. She felt her throat constrict. How could she have forgotten about that? Of course he would’ve seen the scars when he cleared the blood away. Part of her wanted to make something up, but she hadn’t lied to Edér yet and she wasn’t going to start now.

 

“Yeah, I…had a run in with a polar bear,” Alayne said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

 

She had hoped Edér would let it drop, but she saw his eyes light up at the mention of the polar bear.

 

“A polar bear attacked you and you survived? You gotta tell me the whole story,” Edér begged, “I’m gonna start the stitches now, if you’re ready.”

 

Edér looked at her expectantly. Alayne hesitated – she hadn’t been able to turn Edér down since she’d met him, but maybe that was because he so rarely asked for anything.

 

“I’m ready,” Alayne affirmed.

 

She winced and dug her fingers into the mattress as she felt the first pass of the needle through her skin. She didn’t know what possessed her to begin talking; perhaps it was Edér’s calming presence or perhaps she believed that talking would distract her from the pain.

 

“I was out hunting with my little sister, Lilja. We were about two days from home, tracking some caribou,” she began before she felt a large lump lodge in her throat.

 

Edér did not look up from his work as he spoke.

 

“Didn’t know you had a sister,” he said conversationally.

 

“I don’t. Not anymore.”

 

Edér’s hands stilled for a moment, then he rested them on her thighs so as to not pull the needle and thread from her stomach. He looked up to meet her gaze and Alayne’s heart nearly broke at the soft look on his face.

 

“We don’t gotta talk about this if you don’t wanna,” he said gently.

 

Alayne shook her head, uncertain if the gesture was for her own benefit or Edér’s.

 

“It would be nice to be able to talk to someone about Lilja.”

 

Edér held her gaze for a moment before nodding and looking back down at her stomach. He resumed stitching her injury together, his hands warm against her skin.

 

“So, you said you were out huntin’,” he prompted.

 

“Yeah, I was in training to be lead hunter for our clan and was tasked with bringing back some caribou for a feast day. This trip should’ve been easy. Nothing I hadn’t done a hundred times.”

 

“We were tracking the caribou across the ice when a polar bear came out from behind a snow bank. No warning or anything. A hunting party had just come back from that area a month ago and hadn’t seen any polar bears,” Alayne closed her eyes, “It must’ve been hungry or felt threatened because it came right at us. Polar bears don’t usually attack kith like that.”

 

Alayne opened her eyes and stared at the top of Edér’s sandy blonde head, letting her eyes unfocus as she remembered the worst part of the story.

 

“We ran, fast as we could, but we couldn’t outrun it. It…it took Lilja down. Ripped out her throat. I was able to kill it. But not before it took a swipe at me.”

 

Edér’s hands continued to steadily move the needle through her skin, stitching her back together. He didn’t look up, but she knew he was listening. Alayne could tell if she moved her hands from their iron grip on the bed they would be trembling.

 

“I carried her body back to our village. Nobody looked at me the same after that. No one said it outright, but their stares told me that I’d failed. I stayed for a while, but I couldn’t take it. That’s why I came here.”

 

Edér let the needle rest on her leg as he reached into the first aid kit. He pulled out a small pair of scissors. He cut the end of the thread that was attached to her stomach and tied it, cutting off the remaining ends. Edér raised his eyes to meet hers and she saw a softness in them that she had only seen him use with children and animals. And when he talked to her, her traitorous brain supplied, but she stored that thought away for later.

 

“I’m sorry about Lilja,” Edér said with sincerity, “Losin’ a siblin’ is a special kind of pain.”

 

Alayne nodded and gave him a weak, sad smile. It was comforting to feel understood.

 

“But, if I may, it doesn’t sound to me like you failed,” he continued.

 

“I couldn’t save her-“ Alayne started, her voice rising involuntarily.

 

Edér raised his hand.

 

“It’s a damn _miracle_ either of you got out of there alive. Two kith against a polar bear in its natural habitat? I wouldn’t wanna take those odds.”

 

He reached out and placed a steady hand on her shoulder.

 

“Anyone who told you what happened was your fault, direct or not, was wrong. Sometimes things happen, things out of our control. You did your best in a bad situation. And you lived. That’s more than a lot of people can say.”

 

Edér withdrew his hand and Alayne immediately missed his warmth. Her head buzzed with his words. Everyone in her village, including her parents, had implicitly blamed her for Lilja’s death. But Edér had listened to her story and pronounced her free of guilt. She felt a lightness in her chest for the first time in a long time.

 

He pulled a bandage out of the first aid kit. He focused his gaze on her freshly stitched injury as he lined up the bandage.

 

“And I get what you were taught, ‘bout leaders and askin’ for help. But it would help me sleep at night if I knew you weren’t hidin’ injuries from us,” Edér said lightly.

 

Alayne smiled sheepishly as Edér glanced up at her.

 

“In hindsight, not my best decision.”

 

Edér smiled back as he finished applying the bandage. He pulled the hem of her shirt down and turned to put away the supplies back into the first aid kit.

 

“You gonna make it down to the common room for dinner or should I bring you up somethin’?” he asked.

 

Alayne shook her head, her heart warming at his thoughtfulness.

 

“No, I think I can make it for dinner. It doesn’t hurt too much anymore.”

 

Edér stood and grabbed the first aid kit.

  
“All right then, see you in a bit.”

 

Alayne felt a tightness in her chest as he turned to leave. She couldn’t just let him walk away without saying…something. She stood, careful not to pull her stitches, and slipped her much smaller hand into Edér’s free hand.

 

“Edér, wait,” she said.

 

He turned around, an eyebrow raised at her, but did not remove his hand from her grasp. Alayne had to look up to meet his curious gaze.

 

“Thank you. For patching me up and…for listening.”

 

She squeezed his hand as she finished speaking, hoping he would understand how much his kindness meant to her. His face softened and he squeezed her hand in return.

 

“Any time,” he replied before his face turned more serious, “You’ll think ‘bout what I said?”

 

Alayne nodded. He eyed her for a long moment before nodding, finally slipping his hand out of hers as he turned and left the room.


	3. Aloth/Watcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aloth finds a scar on Brianna's body that he's never seen before.

Aloth let out a breath as his back hit the mattress. Straddled atop him, Brianna grinned wolfishly as she surveyed him. Her dark hair hung loosely around her shoulders like a veil and the moonlight streaming in through the window cast an almost ethereal glow on her copper skin. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the thought that he would never tire of this sight.

 

He let his hands wander over her soft, but firm thighs as her hands roamed his bare chest. One of her hands stopped over his heart, beating slightly faster than usual. Brianna tilted her head and regarded him fondly, biting down on her already swollen bottom lip.

 

“Remind me why we waited so long to do this?” she asked him, still smiling.

 

“If I remember correctly, you were just as unsure about entering a relationship as I was,” Aloth replied.

 

Brianna rolled her eyes.

 

“Not _unsure_. I was just…worried you didn’t feel the same way about me. And then it would be all awkward if I told you how I felt and you didn’t feel the same way,” she said, leaning forward to bring her face closer to his.

 

“Considering how well you know me and how terrible I am at hiding my true feelings, I’m surprised you couldn’t tell.”

 

“I mean, I wondered…” Brianna began.

 

She trailed a finger along the tip of one of Aloth’s sensitive ears and he shivered at the contact.

 

“I think everyone knew how we felt about each other except us. Kind of embarrassing,” she continued, “But you remember Danilo? When things break that bad it can make you hesitant to try again.”

 

Aloth fought the urge to frown at the mention of Brianna’s ex-boyfriend. Instead he brought a hand to cup Brianna’s jaw.

 

“Thank you. For trying with me,” he said.

 

He was pleased when the smile returned to her face. Slowly, she leaned in to kiss him. The kiss was gentle, chaste even. Aloth could taste the sweet white wine they had been drinking earlier on her lips.

 

Aloth slowly moved his hands up Brianna’s back, underneath her shirt to lightly scratch her back. He heard her gasp lightly at the contact and she pressed more insistently against his lips. When she swiped her tongue against his mouth, Aloth gladly opened his lips to her.

 

As Brianna’s hand tangled in his hair, Aloth brought his hands to the front of her body. He felt along the expanse of her stomach as his hands traversed upwards until he hit a small patch of rough skin. He brought a thumb to rub across the spot and realized it must be a scar he didn’t know about. It sat just beneath her bra band on her left abdomen. Aloth realized with increasing anxiety what the size and placement of such a scar might mean, but knew he needed to ask Brianna before jumping to conclusions.

 

Brianna pulled away and moved down to leave hot kisses along his neck. As much as Aloth was loathe to ruin the moment, his curiosity got the better of him.

 

“Brianna, what is this?” he asked, carefully feeling along the scar.

 

“What’s what?” she asked, bringing her head up.

 

“This scar,” Aloth clarified, running his thumb along it again, “It must be relatively new, you didn’t have it five years ago.”

 

Aloth immediately regretted his words. He watched as a dark cloud seemed to pass over Brianna’s features as she realized what he was referring to. He knew there was a chance she wouldn’t want to talk about whatever had caused the scar, but her reaction was far worse than he had anticpated.

 

Brianna sat up and moved away from him, curling in on herself as she pressed her back up against the wooden wall of the captain’s quarters. The room suddenly felt much colder. Aloth sat up, unsure of what to do.

 

“Brianna, I…do you want me to leave?” Aloth asked gently.

 

“No!” she answered immediately, shaking her head.

 

Her hand shot out and closed around his wrist, but her grip was loose. Aloth took her trembling hand in both of his and squeezed. He realized then that her eyes were filled with unshed tears.

 

“I didn’t write to tell you. When it happened. I don’t know why,” Brianna said haltingly, shrugging, “I had a few excuses. You were busy, hunting the Leaden Key. You were a thousand miles away. You would just worry. I…”

 

Aloth waited patiently for her to continue.

 

“You’d been gone for three years. Part of me wondered if you’d even care,” she said quietly, looking down at the bed.

 

Aloth swallowed the reply that threatened to spill out of his mouth. Of course he would have cared. He would always care about her, no matter what transpired between them or how far circumstance or fate took them away from each other.

 

“Two years ago, Caed Nua received a delegation of Readceran nobles. I don’t know if you remember, but I did that annually to try to set an example to the rest of the Dyrwood that they should put the war behind them. It usually went well. But this time, Danilo snuck onto the grounds with their party.”

 

Aloth’s heart sank, but he said nothing. He still remembered the nights at camp five years ago when Brianna would wake up, covered in sweat from nightmares, remembering her time with Danilo. He resisted the urge to pull Brianna into his arms as the tears began to fall from her eyes.

 

“We didn’t know he was there until the middle of the night. Showed up in my room while I was asleep. He killed my guards, that’s what woke me up. And Danilo still got the jump on me. He always was strong. Guess I’m lucky this scar is all I have to show for it.”

 

Brianna wiped at her face with her free hand, but her face was soon wet again. When she didn’t continue, Aloth thought it safe to prompt her.

 

“What happened to Danilo?”

 

She grimaced, as if the question didn’t need asking.

 

“I killed him. He stabbed me, I stabbed him back. Difference was I severed his carotid,” Brianna’s face turned thoughtful, “He was scared, in the end. Begged me to get a healer as I watched him bleed out.”

 

Aloth was hard-pressed to find any sympathy for a man who had caused so much pain to Brianna and who knows how many others. Aloth was brought out of his thoughts when Brianna let out a sob.

 

“I’m so sick of men and their fucking pride! It got my parents killed and it’s nearly gotten me killed a hundred times over. You know what he said when he stabbed me? That I still _belonged_ to him. The fucking nerve-”

 

Brianna dissolved into tears, unable to speak further. She reached for Aloth and he quickly enveloped her in his arms. He pressed his lips to the crown of her head as he held her to his chest. He quickly felt her tears spill onto his bare chest.

 

Aloth knew all too well the harm prideful men could enact upon others. He had seen it firsthand from his father and again with Brianna when they had uncovered Thaos’ crimes. He wished he could lift this burden from her shoulders, wished he could go back in time and undo the things that were done to her.

 

At the very least, he could comfort her now. It seemed to pale in comparison to the things she had done for him. He rubbed circles on her back until her breathing became steady. Only then did Aloth speak.

 

“For whatever it’s worth, I never stopped caring about you, Brianna. I thought about you often while we were parted. I missed you. I don’t intend to make false promises, but wherever time and fate take us, never doubt my affection for you.”

 

He felt Brianna nod against his chest.

 

“I’m sorry about what happened with Danilo,” Aloth continued, “but more importantly, I’m glad you’re all right. Pride can drive people can do terrible things.”

 

Brianna pulled away from him and sat up, wiping at her face. She regarded him for a long moment and Aloth could only guess what she was thinking.

 

“You’re not like that, though. You have plenty of reasons to be proud. Of your magic, your appearance, your accomplishments…but proud is the last word I would use to describe you. It’s one of my favorite things about you,” Brianna stated.

 

Aloth felt himself blush lightly at her words.

 

“My father let his pride ruin his life. I chose long ago not to let pride ruin mine,” Aloth explained simply.

 

Brianna hummed and squeezed his hand before looking away somewhat sheepishly.

 

“I’m sorry if I, uh, ruined the mood.”

 

“You haven’t ruined anything. Besides, I’m the one who asked about the scar,” Aloth reminded her.

 

“You’re right. It’s technically your fault,” Brianna retorted, leveling him with a challenging look, “Perhaps you should make it up to me.”

 

Brianna kept her tone serious, but Aloth knew her well enough to see she was struggling to hide a playful smile.

 

“If that’s what you wish, I can think of a few ways…” Aloth trailed off as he pulled Brianna to him.

 

Brianna giggled as Aloth peppered her face with kisses before laying her down on the bed. He was glad to see her smiling again. She looked beautiful with her long hair fanned out around her and Aloth was torn between simply absorbing this image of her and kissing her senseless. Brianna made his decision for him as she wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and gently pulled him in for a kiss.

 

At least for tonight, they could forget about men and their pride.

**Author's Note:**

> Huge shout out to my friend Ellie for cheering me on as I wrote this chapter and helping me figure out the ending.


End file.
